logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
38m 51s

Rise of the Crusader States

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Today
Olaf Tryggvason: Viking Warlord or Christian King?
Matt Lewis and guest Dr Eleanor Barraclough as they dive into the turbulent world of late 10th-century Scandinavia and the extraordinary life of Olaf Tryggvason. Exiled, enslaved, raider, and eventually king of Norway, Olaf was a force of nature in an age of shifting loyalties, p ... Show More
57m 34s
Jul 28
Folk Legends of Iceland
How was folklore woven into the everyday life of medieval Icelanders? How did they make sense of the darkness of their world?During Iceland's endless nights, tales of trolls, ghosts, elves, hidden people and restless spirits were far more than entertainment: they explained an unp ... Show More
57 m
Jul 24
High Kings of Ireland
What if “High King” in medieval Ireland was less a fixed office than a fiercely contested prize, won through ritual, lineage, and force? On the Hill of Tara, a would-be ruler climbs toward the Stone of Destiny, hoping for the legendary cry that marks him as chosen.Matt Lewis and ... Show More
54m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Crusader states: everything you wanted to know
After the fall of Jerusalem into Frankish hands in 1099 during the First Crusade, a string of new crusader states emerged, initiating Western rule in the region for almost 200 years. Drawing on listener questions and top search queries, Emily Briffett speaks to Dr Nicholas Morton ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2022
Vol 4 Ep 36 - Crusades in the Holy Land, Part Two
<p>1099 - 1302 - After the conclusion of the First Crusade, four Christian nation states were established in the Levant. &nbsp;These Crusader States would have to battle for their survival over the next two hundred years, and this episode focuses on that protracted battle.</p> 
50m 36s
Jan 2024
Nicholas Morton, "The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099-1187" (Oxford UP, 2020)
Nicholas Morton’s The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099-1187 (Oxford UP, 2020) explores the military history of the medieval Near East, piecing together the fault-lines of conflict which entangled this much-contested region. This was an area where eth ... Show More
56m 49s
Oct 2025
295. Crusader Gaza: Saladin & Richard The Lionheart (Part 5)
Why did Crusaders travel from Western Europe to Gaza and The Levant in the 11th century? Who was Saladin and how did he conquer the Franks? How did the Mamluks defeat the Mongols in the 1200s and usher in an era of prosperity for Gaza? Anita and William are joined by Jonathan Phi ... Show More
49m 7s
Jan 2023
The Mongol Empire
<p>The Crusades are well-known but only part of the complex history of the medieval Near East. During the same era, the region was completely remade by the Mongol invasions.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a single generation, the Mongols upended the region’s geopolitics.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this e ... Show More
34m 40s
Mar 2023
Assassins vs Templars: The Crusades
<p>Islamic, Christian and Jewish blood spilled across three centuries in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant, all under the sanction of the Latin Church. The impact of the eight Crusades reverberated across the Medieval world. So, what was the fighting about? Were the relationsh ... Show More
36m 51s
Oct 2023
The First Crusade | 3. Crossing into the unknown
In the call to crusade that ignited the idea of holy war in the minds of the western European populace, Pope Urban II painted a picture of evil “infidels” torturing and massacring the Christians of the Holy Land. However, when the armed pilgrims of the First Crusade crossed over ... Show More
43m 55s
Nov 2008
How the Crusades Worked
<p>The first Crusade began in 1095, and launched a struggle for control of Jerusalem in a series of arduous battles spanning more than two centuries. Learn more about the origin, escalation and consequences of the Crusades in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.</p><p> </p> Learn mor ... Show More
14 m
Oct 2023
The First Crusade Trailer
When we talk about the crusades today the mental images that spring to mind are as clear as they are striking – valiant crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and penniless pilgrims in search of salvation, perhaps even a brutal clash of civilisations. But, behind the popular my ... Show More
2m 6s
Mar 2019
Rethinking the crusades
Historian Nicholas Paul explores some little known aspects of the crusades and also considers why this aspect of medieval history has inspired the far-right. Find out more about his research at: https://medievaldigital.ace.fordham.edu/mapping-projects/oxford-outremer-map-project/ ... Show More
33m 14s